Controversial Gay-Marriage Class at Seton Hall University is Reportedly Running Smoothly

After initial tensions, death threats, and the posting of a security guard during the first week of classes, the course “Special Topics in Political Theory: Gay Marriage” is reportedly running smoothly. The course drew public attention last spring when Newark Archbishop John J. Myers questioned whether a Catholic university should be offering a course on a topic opposed to Catholic teaching. The archbishop, who is on the Seton Hall’s board of trustees and was part of a summer trustee discussion over the propriety of the course, reportedly continues to believe that Seton Hall should not have offered the course.

[New Jersey’s The Star-Ledger via Inside Higher Ed]

Newark, NJ, archbishop objects to Seton Hall course on gay marriage

John J. Myers, Archbishop of Newark, chair of Seton Hall’s board of trustees, and president of the school’s board of regents has asked the University’s governing board to cancel a course on gay marriage on the grounds that the class conflicts with the teachings of the Catholic Church.

In a statement, the archbishop said the church teaches that marriage should only be between a man and a woman.

"This proposed course seeks to promote as legitimate a train of thought that is contrary to what the Church teaches. As a result, the course is not in synch with Catholic teaching," Myers said. "Consequently, the board of trustees of Seton Hall have asked the board of regents to investigate the matter of this proposed course and to take whatever action is required under the law to protect the Catholicity of this university."

The course had been approved by both the political science department and the dean’s office.

"The initial review at the departmental level and at the dean’s level suggests that the course is not an advocacy course … but a ‘special topics’ course to objectively examine a significant current public policy issue," [vice provost Larry] Robinson said. "Thus, we fully anticipate that the Catholic position on same-sex marriage will be explored."

The instructor, W. King Mott, associate professor of political science, is gay and has clashed with the church and university officials before. The Star-Ledger article has details.

[New Jersey’s The Star-Ledger via Inside Higher Ed]

Judge extends order preserving Erskine board

Inside Higher Ed continues to track the conflict between Erskine College and its founding denomination, the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church (ARPC). A South Carolina judge has extended his order that prevents the ARPC from firing and replacing members of Erskine’s board trustees.

Three Erskine trustees and the alumni association sue to block changes at college

Inside Higher Ed reports that the attempt by the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church to gain more control over  Erskine College by reforming its board of trustees and its by-laws has now been challenged in court by three Erskine trustees and Erskine’s alumni association.

May Virginia’s public colleges bar discrimination based on sexual ordination?

Days after Virginia’s attorney general told public colleges and universities that they had no authority to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation, the governor issued an executive directive advising all state employees that employment discrimination is barred under state and federal law. The motivation and effect of the attorney general’s letter and the governor’s subsequent executive directive remain in dispute. Does, for example, the executive directive apply to government employees but not to the treatment of students?

The Chronicle of Higher Education has the story here, here, and here; and Insider Higher Ed, here.

Erskine College sues its denomination

In the continuing story of Erskine College and its denomination’s attempt to assert more control, Inside Higher Ed reports that the College has now sued the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church accusing its founding denomination of violating the college’s bylaws and attempting to take inappropriate control. A judge has issued a temporary restraining order.

Erskine College and accreditation

The ongoing story of Erskine College and its denomination’s attempt to “reassert” control is rapidly becoming a classic case study in how relations between a church-related college and its church can become dysfunctional and destructive. Inside Higher Ed’s Scott Jaschik has the story about how the church’s latest moves may put the college’s accreditation in jeopardy.

Church control over Erskine College (cont.)

As reported last week, the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church (ARP) commissioned a study of its Erskine College (South Carolina) that concluded that the college was hurt by “irreconcilable and competing visions.” The report urged that the church and board take a more direct and independent role in directing the college.

According to The Index-Journal of South Carolina, the general synod of ARP has now replaced fourteen of the college’s thirty-member board. In June the interim board will be succeeded by a new, restructured board, and the college bylaws will be revised.

The Index-Journal article reports on the change and offers some reactions from the retiring president, Randall T. Ruble:

"No changes in administration, faculty or staff are being made,” President Randall T. Ruble said in a statement. "I wish to assure students that they will continue to receive the same good service they have come to expect and that our outstanding academic program will remain unchanged. This change is a governance matter.”

Ruble said it was his understanding the current board had not measured up to the standards of the ARP commission that investigated the college. During the meeting, Ken Wingate, who spoke on behalf of the general synod, talked about the board’s negligence in oversight of administration and finance, Ruble said.

"I have worked well with the current board and don’t see a lot of reason for (this) to be done,” he said.

Several faculty express concerns that the changes may compromise  faculty academic freedom and Erskine’s reputation for quality.

[The Index-Journal via Inside Higher Ed]

Church study of Erskine College has faculty worried

Inside Higher Ed’s Scott Jaschik reports on a study of Erskine College, a liberal arts college in Due West, S.C., commissioned by its sponsoring denomination, the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church or ARP. ARP is a small denomination that  describes itself as  conservative and evangelical.

The report says that the college is hurt by "irreconcilable and competing visions." With a presidential search going on, the report says that the church "must speak clearly" on its interests in the direction of the college, that the board must operate more independently of the administration, and that there must no longer be doubt about the church running the college.

The report has some faculty worried:

While the report has a polite tone, and praises the dedication of the college’s leaders and faculty, its repeated references to the "irreconcilable" philosophical views about Erskine and the "untenable situation" in which the college finds itself have many faculty members worried that hard-liners are aiming for a purge.

Jaschik, who has obtained a draft of the report, also provides important background including interviews of several of the key actors involved in the dispute. Recommended reading!

University of Nebraska Board of Regents tie on vote to return to Bush-era regulations on embryonic stem cell research; resolution fails

Inside Higher Ed and The Chronicle of Higher Education [subscription required] each have detailed reports on the tie vote in the University of Nebraska Board of Regents that defeated an attempt to reject the expansion of research on human embryonic stem cells allowed by the Obama administration. If passed, the resolution would have returned the system to the more restrictive regulations issued by the Bush administration.